There exists a plurality of situations wherein it is desirable to assemble construction beams together. For example, conventional residential walls are typically erected using a framework including generally horizontal beams commonly referred to as plates assembled to generally vertical beams commonly referred to as studs. Wall panels are secured to the plates and/or studs.
The conventional plates and studs forming the skeletal portions of small buildings are typically made out of wood beams. Typically, these wood beams have a generally rectangular cross-sectional configuration and are typically dimensioned as being two inches by four inches. Wood plates and studs have been traditionally favored since they typically provide adequate structural support while being generally easy to assemble using a so called “toe nailing” approach.
Typically, the wood studs and wood plates are laid out on a supporting surface in a suitable configuration. The plates and studs are then fastened together by driving nails through the top and/or the bottom plate into the block end of the studs. In other words, the nails are driven through the outwardly facing surfaces of the plates and then through the top and bottom end of each stud.
Wood is also favored because of its thermal and noise insulation properties. Furthermore, wood is particularly convenient in situations wherein components such as electrical fixtures need to be anchored to the framework of the building. In such instances, the casing of the components such as electrical fixtures or the like merely needs to be attached to the wood beams using conventional fastening components such as screws, nails and the like.
Although wood beams provide numerous advantages, they nevertheless suffer from some drawbacks. Indeed, in view of the depletion of forest resources, lumber derived from old growth timber has become relatively scarce. Consequently, there has been, at least in some areas, a lack of supply and associated increased purchasing costs. Furthermore, the relatively younger timber that has been used as a replacement sometimes demonstrates poor dimensional stability and tensile strength. Hence, studs derived from younger timber may tend to warp and may have diminished load bearing ability. Also, wood inherently suffers from other drawbacks including susceptibility to termite infestation, to rotting and to mildew. Also, the use of wood studs may potentially increase fire hazards.
In an attempt to circumvent the above mentioned disadvantages, some constructors have resorted to using metal studs. Such metal studs have been traditionally used mainly in the construction of commercial buildings. In commercial construction, they are typically assembled between elongated metal rails instead of the wood plates used in residential construction. Although metal studs provide some advantages, they nevertheless also inherently suffer from some drawbacks. For example, they are often considered to provide poor thermal and noise insulation. Also, assembly of metal frameworks involves different methods and tools than those used for wood frameworks. For example, with metal frameworks, the stud is fastened to the rail with screws as opposed to nails used for fastening wood studs to wood rails. Furthermore, the installation of components and fixtures such as electrical outlet boxes or the like to metal studs is more tedious and time consuming than installation of the same fixtures and components to wood studs.
Some of these problems have been recognized in the past, and, accordingly, some prior art documents disclose combination metal and wood studs for combining the advantages of both types of components. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,505 naming D. Dennis BOGLE as inventor issued Jan. 7, 1997 discloses a construction member having an elongated member with a longitudinal channel disposed therein. The elongated member has a C-shaped cross-sectional configuration for receiving and retaining fastening blocks at respective ends of the channel.
The blocks are dimensioned so as to substantially fill the cross-sectional space of the channel. The fastening blocks may receive nails driven through the upper and lower plates in a standard residential wall construction. End caps attached to the ends of the elongated members are also provided so that the load beating surface abutting an elongated member is not damaged by the elongated member's end.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,176 naming Donald Patrick HUNT as inventor issued Feb. 3, 1998 discloses a combination C- or U-shaped metal and composite construction stud. The stud is typically made out of galvanized steel and has an insert made of softer material located at strategically placed locations on the stud. Pointed fastening devices such as nails and/or screws may be used to fasten other structural components to the studs.
Although these prior art composite studs made out of both a frame member and a core circumvent some of the above mentioned disadvantages, they nevertheless suffer from at least one major drawback. Indeed, they require that the core component or insert be slidably inserted into the elongated member or frame in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the elongated member or frame from one of its longitudinal ends. This may prove to be impossible or difficult in numerous situations.
This limitation may greatly deter the overall appeal of the composite stud solution. Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved composite stud.